Feet of clay

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One always hears that men think with their penis, but women have shown that they too think with what is between their legs. If men do it it - it is men being men unable to control their testosterone driven sexual needs. When women do it - it is love.
The "it" was brought to light again when the good General Petraeus was unexpectedly exposed as having an affair, maybe two. [F.B.I. Said to Have Stumbled Into News of Petraeus Affair]. So sexual needs has brought down another very bright and articulate person. [One wonders what comments General Petraeus might have had about President Clinton].
But it is also bringing down a very bright and articulate woman shades of Lisa Nowak. Nowak was the  diaper wearing astronaut that drove 900 miles to confront another who she thought was competing with her for another astronaut. Apparently, in this case the confrontation was via emails.
In the Petraeus case it appears that Mrs. Broadwell, yes she is married too, sent harassing emails to another woman not yet named. Invoking cybercrime, she notified the FBI. It was this that led to the FBI's accidental exposure of Petraeus's affair. Her relationship to the general is unknown, or at least unpublished. We are left to wait for the next installment to find out the who, what and when.
Of course the undoing of relationships and reputations, except maybe in France and Italy, because of sexual dalliances has been documented throughout the ages - yet it is always intriguing that rational people act so irrationally.
And it is not always men. Women prove themselves just as capable of screwing things up as men. And when, as in this case, two very bright and articulate people with much to lose act irrationally - the consequences are dire.
Arguably, we in the US make too much of these affairs. They shouldn't take anything away from the good that these 'fallen' have done or will do in their lives. While the effects in this case appear to be personal and private, it raises concerns because of Petraeus's position as head of the CIA. [See Why David Petraeus’s Gmail account is a national security issue.]
People in such high profile positions of public trust need to be especially watchful that their conduct doesn't place them in conflicted situations. [See With Paula Broadwell, Gen. David Petraeus let his guard down.] Blackmail is the usual specter. Thankfully, there appears to be nothing to see here - so we need to move on. And surely in another month, or less, the media will be on to something else.
Humans are frail creatures with feet of clay.